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I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in software programming from Louisiana State University in 2017 and I went straight to work for a multinational IT company as an app developer, followed by a stint in an industrial automation company. It was in the middle of the first COVID wave in 2020 when I joined Shell. At the time I was incredibly surprised by how broad their IT operations were. I applied largely because a friend that worked here told me how great the work-life balance is, and how well employees are taken care of. And over time I’ve seen for myself how the company values new employees, giving them the support they need to learn about their roles in a safe environment. After three years in software development at the time, I was already suffering from burnout. But the treatment I’ve received at Shell has rekindled my passion for the job.

I’m currently a product owner of a Python workbench we’re building. It’s meant to be a repository of tools that both professional and amateur developers can leverage to get started on a project most securely and intuitively. We try to provide an environment where instead of downloading assets from a hundred places, you can just get on and get going. We think it should also seriously help upskill other employees looking to familiarise themselves with coding.

I struggled a little bit with remote working at the beginning because I was still adapting to everything around me, just like Shell was adapting to the new normal. The company was quick to evolve and got all the necessary procedures into place so we could all keep going. I always had people checking up on me to make sure I was okay, and they even connected me with other people in the graduate programme since I couldn't physically meet any of them as I would have otherwise.

What I do appreciate is how much more time I have compared to my previous jobs. There were always so many changes requested in any given project, but we were never allowed any deadline extensions to execute them. That led to me always being overworked, usually because I was the only developer on a project. At Shell, stakeholders understand that tweaks and updates will mean a reasonable change to our timelines. That, of course, lets me do my job without having to unhealthily overextend myself. It’s what I tell new hires when they get to Shell. Maybe they could bring in more money at a technology company but the amount of work that is involved would wreak havoc on their health.

Well for one, you get to dip your toes into a lot of different tech. The system here is that you don’t necessarily have to dive into what you’re already proficient in to make sure you’re contributing right away. Shell gives you the freedom to try new things to get a feel for what other capabilities you may have. It’s part of what motivates me at work; I’m not just maintaining a certain lifestyle, I’m also taking each day as a chance to grow my skill sets.

I think the biggest thing a Shell developer needs is the ambition to learn. That’s the core of the Graduate Programme after all, constant learning. You also need to be open to trying new roles outside your comfort zone. I can’t tell you how many stories I’ve heard about people here that initially didn’t like or expect a certain role they were handed but have since stuck with it for 10 or 15 years because it just worked for them.

You also need to be able to make yourself heard, and Shell’s work culture ensures that’s not an uphill battle. When starting as a new hire it’s always scary to think of voicing your opinion in front of senior developers. But honestly, everyone here listens without judgement. If your idea isn’t the best they’ll explain to you why. And if it’s good, they’ll seriously consider implementing it. I’m an introvert, so getting past that was a challenge initially. But I’ve since realised everyone here has an open door policy, so I’ve learned to open up a bit more.

I’ve always been fascinated by how cybersecurity works, so perhaps I’ll move into that field in a couple of years. After that, who knows? Maybe I’ll progress into management, or shift to a role where I’m guiding new hires, or developing a new program for them.

As for Shell, the future is clearly in green energy, and that would take a lot of data to pull off effectively. We’ll need new technology to better monitor and predict electricity consumption, or the most optimal way to transfer renewable energy with minimal loss. It’s hard to say what kind of technology Shell will pursue a decade from now, it may not even exist yet.